Contents [hide]

Lytle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Lytle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Although the most natural origin to attribute this name to is of the original bearer's diminutive size, and many genealogists make this error, the name is actually derived from the manor of Liddel, in Cumberland England.

Early Origins of the Lytle family

The surname Lytle was first found in Northumberland, England where Eadric Litle was listed as on Old English Byname in 972. From this early Saxon entry, we move to Suffolk to find Lefstan Litle listed at Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk c. 1095. Later in Sussex, Thomas le Lytle was found in the Subsidy Rolls on 1296. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries with older spellings: William le Letle, Oxfordshire; Wiscard Litil, Huntingdonshire; John le Litle, Berkshire; and Julian Litel, Cambridgeshire. All held land in their respective shires at that time. 2

But Scotland is where the lion's share of the family claim descent. And there, the first record was of John Litill who served on an inquest at Lanark, 1313. An agreement was made between the abbot of Scone and Robertus dictus Lytil in 1332 and in 1351, Martin Litill, who witnessed a charter by William, dominus vallis de Ledell, of the lands of Abirdowyr in Fife is probably Martin Lytill who in 1358 possessed the land of Cardvyn. Nichol Litil was one of the 'borowis for the earl of Douglas's bounds of the West March in 1368 and Adam Lityll was a tenant of the Douglas in the barony of Kilbucho in 1376.

"The Littles occupied the lower part of Upper Eskdale and a portion of Ewesdale, and were recorded in 1587 as one of the unruly clans in the West March." 3

The Little Clan territory followed the banks of the River Esk and part of Ewarsdale, and their immediate neighbors were the Armstrongs, Elliots and Beatties. Adam Lityll was a tenant of the Douglas Clan in the barony of Kilbucho in 1376. A branch also moved further northward to Aberdeen, but the main branch of the Clan remained around Roxburghshire.

By 1350, they had become an established Clan closely affiliated to the Douglases and their territories were located in the Scottish West Marches, approximately twenty miles due north of Carlisle.

Early History of the Lytle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lytle research. Another 225 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1376, 1426, 1448, 1580 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lytle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lytle Spelling Variations

Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Lytle has been spelled Little, Littel, Littell and others.

Early Notables of the Lytle family

More information is included under the topic Early Lytle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lytle Ranking

In the United States, the name Lytle is the 2,476^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Lytle family to Ireland

Some of the Lytle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lytle migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:

Lytle Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Lytle, who landed in New York in 1798 5

Lytle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Lytle, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 5
D.S. Lytle, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
Isa I. Lytle, aged 49, who landed in America from London, in 1892
Frank Lytle, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from County Donegal, Ireland in 1893
Eliza Lytle, aged 24, who immigrated to America, in 1895
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lytle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ellen Lytle, aged 24, who landed in America from County Derry, Ireland in 1903
Katie B. Lytle, aged 31, who landed in America, in 1903
Henry Lytle, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Belfast, in 1905
Gertrude Fannie Lytle, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1905
Caroline J. Lytle, aged 53, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lytle (post 1700) +

Herbert Lytle (1874-1932), American racecar driver
Edward Benson "Ed" Lytle (1862-1950), American Major League Baseball player and manager
Captain William Lytle (1728-1797), American officer, one of General Washington's elite corps of officers in the Revolutionary War who was deeded 1,200 acres which would later become known as Cincinnati
Jason Lytle (b. 1969), American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy
Marshall Lytle (1933-2013), American rock and roll musician, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets
John "Johnny" Dillard Lytle (1932-1995), American jazz drummer and vibraphonist
Rob Lytle (1954-2010), American NFL football player
Andrew Nelson Lytle (1902-1995), American poet, novelist, dramatist and writer
Chris Lytle (b. 1974), American mixed martial arts fighter
Charlotte S. Lytle, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Wethersfield, 1920 6
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Lytle Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Magnum in parvo
Motto Translation: Great things in a little

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html